No Space for Dreams

Last week, April 10 to be exact, a group of 18 Cuban dissidents announced, drowned out by the din of DVD’s, electric rice cookers and cell phones flying off the shelves, that they had created an "Agenda for the Transition":

"We are convinced that the process of transition that is approaching in Cuba should take place in an atmosphere of national reconciliation,'' said Martha Beatriz Roque, who with Vladimiro Roca directs the new organization.

Among the other members are Elizardo Sánchez, René Gómez Manzano, Félix Bonne Carcasés, Guillermo Fariñas, Jorge Luis García Pérez (Antúnez) and Francisco Chaviano and Héctor Palacios. Other dissidents, like Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas, did not answer an invitation to join the effort.

.

Ms. Roque admitted that the dissidents “aren’t completely prepared” for the transition, but its more prepared than the opposition in other countries and better prepared than the regime.
Yesterday, Granma, the official propaganda rag of the regime said “niet” to any possibility of any kind of reconciliation, national or not, with the Cuban dissidents.:

"There is no space for the dreams of adversaries, internal mercenaries and fifth columnists," an editorial in the ruling Communist Party newspaper Granma
said.

"There will be a more perfect socialism sustained and defended by a united people led by Fidel, Raul and the party's leadership," it said.

Still, the word in Miami is that the Havana regime is about to announce the easing of travel restrictions-doing away with the white card. Yesterday, I commented on this blog that I thought that pulling that card might be a difficult trick for Raul because it may just bring the house of cards that is the Cuban regime tumbling down.

Granma sensed that Miami’s intransigent crowd would be ready with the “house of cards” analogy and had this pre-emptive response:

The Granma editorial scoffed at the conference as the work of "mafiosos" and alleged it was an attempt to subvert the Cuban government. "The Cuban Revolution is not a castle made of cards," the editorial stated, "but an impregnable fortress."

Scary. And my life partner says I'm paranoid.